Duarte de Paz was born in Porto from Master João da Paz, a tax collector responsible for the customs of Porto, whose trading networks reached as far as Flanders. In the 1530s, a few decades after the expulsion of Jewish people from the Iberian Peninsula, Duarte’s presence is acknowledged in Rome as the New Christian agent - representing Jews who had been forced to convert to Christianity and eventually fled to more tolerant places - entrusted to block King João III of Portugal’s negotiations for the establishment of the Portuguese Inquisition. This meant that the Paz family had been able to connect itself with powerful families involved in international commerce, in which the Sephardic élite controlled strategic commodities. Nevertheless, in 1535 Duarte’s fortune deteriorated rapidly: first, his efforts eventually proved to be unsuccessful, since the Portuguese Inquisition was eventually established on 23 May 1536 by the papal bulla Cum ad nihil magis. Following this setbacks, Duarte de Paz’s position irretrievably weakened. It is clear evidence of his eroded influence that in 1536 he was the victim of a murderous attack and was cared for in Castel Sant’Angelo by Pope Paul III’s physicians, and some allegations have been made about João III’s men sent for the purpose. According to Francisco Bethencourt, the fact that the Paz family survived the quarrel arisen between Duarte and João III shows the strength of their marital strategy, consisting in a policy of 'intermarrying' with the nobility and the traditional local elites across the Mediterranean. Duarte eventually ended his life in the Ottoman Empire, where he fully embraced Judaism and, as it was custom to New Christians who felt free to embrace their previous religion, changed his name to David Bueno. But what is staggering is that Duarte still offered his services to the Portuguese king, especially by providing intelligence about Jewish and New Christian people involved in Ottoman policy-making, particularly in relation to the delicate area of the Indian Ocean, where the Portuguese had sensitive commercial interests.